Flyers suffer costly loss in Tampa

Philadelphia Flyers center Maxime Talbot (25) celebrates with teammate defenseman Luke Schenn (22) after scoring against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, March 18, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

TAMPA, Fla. - Here’s how badly the Flyers have come unhinged by their inability to score: In just the latest of all-important moments of this season, they moved feisty fourth-line stalwart Zac Rinaldo to the top line, dropped Scott Hartnell to the bench, then went into the third period trying to outscore the Tampa Bay Lightning.

You can admire that move by coach Peter Laviolette as gutsy. You can’t say it worked.

Instead, Teddy Purcell was in the right place at the right time Monday night, and a result, the Flyers embark on a five-day break wishing they were anywhere but where they are in the standings.

Purcell’s tip-in of a Keith Aulie shot slipped past goalie Ilya Bryzgalov midway through the third period, and the Lightning held off the offense-challenged Flyers from there for a 4-2 victory between two teams nearing a panic point.

Advertisement

We know which team is closer to that stage.

The Lightning’s victory lifts them to 13-15-1 and into a virtual tie at 27 points with the Flyers (13-16-1-27). But with one less loss (and game played) the Lightning passed the Flyers ... who are in 12th place in the East, five points out of a playoff spot with all of 18 games left.

“It sucks,” Rinaldo smartly pointed out. “It’s not a good feeling at all. I thought we played good tonight. I thought we had a lot of chances, and some bounces just didn’t go our way tonight. But we can’t be negative. We can’t be moping around and feeling sorry for ourselves. No one is feeling sorry for us. So we have to keep going.”

The Flyers don’t play again until Sunday, when they enter into another crazy game in Pittsburgh against a Penguins team currently rolling on a nine-game winning streak. So what is next on the optimistic agenda?

“Just do the same thing we’ve been doing,” said Claude Giroux, whose second-period goal Monday tied it at deuce, but didn’t do anything to inspire a Flyers club often impotent in third periods.

“The season’s not over,” Giroux insisted. “We’re a team that’s going to battle. We’re not going to stop until the end. We believe in the guys we have in this room. We have to keep competing and working hard.”

Despite their hard work, the Flyers again folded when it counted. They have now been outscored in third periods by 33-20 this season, a team that all of a year ago prided itself with the way it finished games.

So as for guesses as to why that is...

“I don’t know,” Max Talbot said. “If I knew, I’d fix it.”

For one thing, the people that are supposed to score simply aren’t doing so. Neither Danny Briere (13 games without a goal) nor Sean Couturier (22-game empty streak) can buy one. Giroux was running low of late, too, until he picked up a loose puck in the attack zone and rifled it past Lightning goalie Anders Lindback at 15:21 for 2-2.

From there, with Rinaldo around instead of Hartnell, the Flyers’ top line indeed showed some life. They just didn’t stir any netted nylon.

“I hope some guys got a spark from it,” Rinaldo said of his surprise appearance. “I was actually really surprised. I played every shift to the best of my ability, and it’s unfortunate the way things went tonight.”

The Lightning struck first at 6:38 of the first when a youthful pair made their way right through the Flyers’ defensive ranks. Dana Tyrell, broke in and saucered a pass past Nick Grossmann to Ondrej Palat, who put a shot under Ilya Bryzgalov for 1-0.

The Flyers, having scored just two even-strength goals in their previous 14 periods, got one at the 13:55 mark to tie it up. It came from Talbot, who took an outlet pass from Andrej Meszaros, unveiled a nice toe drag move to undo Marty St. Louis, then backhanded the puck past Lindback.

But the Lightning (13-15-1) wasted precious little time getting the lead back. It came on nice redirection shot by Tom Pyatt of a 90-degree throw-in by Tyler Johnson at 17:03 for 2-1.

Jake Voracek would come within inches of tying it again right at the first period horn, but it bounced away off the post. That would be ominous for the Flyers, who coming in were 0-10 when trailing after one period, while Tampa was 11-1 when leading after one.

Yet the Flyers pushed hard in the second period, finally getting the game tied with Giroux’s goal. And then ... just that familiar, empty feeling.

Now comes two complete off days, followed by what promises to be three long and arduous practice days.

And who knows what an embattled coach will have in store then?

“Is Lavy trying to send a message to me? He’s trying to send it to the team,” said Hartnell, who was demoted to the bench after taking an ill-timed roughing call early in the second period, and hardly played afterward until the third. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t come back tonight. ... We have to be confident, even though these losses keep adding up. It’s not like the guys aren’t trying.”

No, it’s more like the guys simply aren’t good enough, though that’s not exactly an assessment anyone within their ranks would be likely to propose.

“We’ve got 18 more of these games,” Hartnell added. “You can’t not show up to play ... and I was probably the biggest culprit of that tonight.”